Bicycle-saddle



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ORIGEN B. DARLING, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

BICYCLE-SADDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,601, dated January 31, 1899.

Application led July 17J 1897.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORIGEN B. DARLING, of Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Bicycle-Saddles, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and numerals on lthe drawings represen ting like parts. l

Thisinvention has for its object the production of a novel bicycle-saddle, the same being composed of wire bent to present two ovate wings and a double-pointed porninel, the weight of the rider being equallydistributed on the said wings, the wings being free to yield somewhat to any increased weight put upon them by the motion of the body of the rider due to pedaling and other causes, this yielding of the wings obviating shock.

The yielding of my improved saddle is chiefly at its outer edges away from the cen- A tral line at the outer and rear portions of the wing and away from the pommel-line.

The wire employed to construct my novel saddle is so shaped by bending that it presents below the top of the seat of the saddle a free-ended tongue, into which enter four thicknesses of the wire of which the saddle is composed, said tongue being embraced back of its free end by a permanent holder, which when in place maintains the Wing in operative position. This tongue is so shaped that its free end may be pushed into any usual clamp carried by any usual L-pin, the clamp being tightened on the tongue to hold the saddle in place in usual manner.

Figure 1 represents a top or plan view of y the main part or frame of my novel saddle with the seat connected therewith. Fig. 2is a section in the line so uc, Fig. l. Fig. Sis a side elevation of the saddle shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a modification of my invention.

To produce the saddle shown in Fig. 1, I take a single piece of wire of proper length, diameter, and temper and `bend the same backwardly, say, from the points 2, Fig. l, inclining the said parts upwardly to about the point 3, thus forming a part of a free ended tongue to be described. At the point 3, the Wire for each wing is bent backwardly and Serial No. 644,895. (No model.)

outwardly, as best shown in Fig. 3, to about the point 4, thus presenting for each' half a saddle having ovate-shaped wings, as best shown in Fig. l, and thereafter the wire is bent at the point 5 to form part of a pommel end, the Wire c being then carried back in a substantially straight line to the point 3, the free end 8 of the wire back of each pommel end and from the point 3 toward its end being laid alongside of the Wire previously bent to form a part of the free-ended tongue. The tongue b so formed, and as best represented in Fig. 2, contains four diameters of the wire lying substantially contiguous and side by side and substantially central beneath the top of the saddle, and said tongue has applied to it back of its free end a permanent holder a., the said holder, as -herein shown, being represented as a bar having holes or slots for the reception of the runs of the wire, suitable setscrews, as ct', threaded into said holder acting against the runs of the wire in the tongue to hold the same firmly together and maintain the wings in operative position, leaving the free end of the tongue in position to be pushed into the opening h of any clamp, as b2, having a movable block bx and adapted to be secured by a set-screw b3 to any usual L-pin or support b4 commonly employed to sustain bicycle-saddles- The seat part c of the saddle is herein shown as composed of pieces of leather hav'- ing suitable eyeleted holes c', through which is inserted asuitable strong lacing, as c2, said lacing confining the seat to the wire and constituting the saddle.

It is obvious that the seat and the framework of the wire may have applied to it any suitable cushion, not necessary tobe herein shown or described.

In the modification, Fig. 4, I have shown the saddle composed of two pieces of Wire instead of one. In Fig. 4 the Wire is bent at d substantially back upon itself for a sufficient distance to constitute two runs of the tongue, and thereafter one part of the wire is bent forward, as at e, to constitute one side of the double pommel, while the other part of the wire is bent backwardly and outwardly, as shown at f, to constitute a part of the ovate wing of the seat, where it is united with the part of the wire entering into the pommel by a strong ferrule g.

The double portions of the wire Z in Fig. 3 are embraced firmly by a holder d, as described with relation to Fig. l, and the Wire is acted upon by suitable set-screws, as a', in the holder.

Referring to Fig. l, it will be seen that the wings and pommel are separately movable to adapt themselves to any variation or changing position of the load upon the saddle.

In the saddle herein described it will be seen that each ovate wing extends outwardly from the tongue, and the weight of the rider is thrown on each wing, each wing being free to spri'n g or yield to a limited extent as the wheel of the bicycle meets with an obstruction, the yielding of the wings obviating shocks.

The win gs constitute an elastic support, and are formed by bending the wire entering into the saddle to constitute a free-ended tongue composed of wire extended forwardly and backwardly-forwardly in to form part of a double pommel and backwardly to form the yielding portion of the saddle-which is animportant feature of this invention.

Vhile I prefer to make my saddle of one single piece of wire, yet it may be made of two pieces, as represented in Fig. 4, each piece of wire forming one of the ovate wings and one part of the double pommel, and should the tongue shown in Fig. 4 be eut off in the line m then it would be possible to keep the parts e and f of the wire integral at the front end of each part of the pommel rather than uniting them by means of the ferrule g.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A bieyclefsaddle composed of wire bent to form two ovate-shaped Wings, one end of each wing forming one of the double-pommel ends, one wing and pommel part being located at each side of the center line of the saddle, the wire entering into each wing being bent and brought into line to present a tongue, and a permanent holder to embrace the wire composing the tongue between the' point of the tongue and the said wings, said holder maintaining the wings in operative position, substantially as described.

2. A bicycle-saddle, composed of wire bent to present tWo separately-yielding wings and one-half of a double pommel, the wire in each of said wings being brought together side by side below the top of the Wings in four thicknesses to present a tongue, and a holder ernbracing said four thicknesses back of the free end of said tongue, said holder maintaining the Wires entering into the saddle in operative position, the free end of the tongue being adapted to be pushed into any usual clamp by which to connect the saddle to any usual L-pin or other support, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ORIGEN I3. DARLING.

lVitnesses:

JOHN C. EDWARDS, ALEX. C. PROUDFIT. 

